Bringing Dimension with a Brayer

Today’s card was such a joy to create because I pulled out a tool I hadn’t used in a little while — my trusty brayer! Every time I pick it up, I’m reminded how much I love the extra touch it brings to a project. For this card, I wanted to play with adding ink directly to an embossing folder, and the result turned out even better than I had hoped.

I began by inking up the de-bossed side of the Damask Designs Embossing Folder (165214) with Soft Sea Foam ink using my brayer. Then, I carefully placed a panel of Soft Sea Foam cardstock inside and ran it through my Cut & Emboss Machine. The ink combined with the embossing created the most amazing depth and dimension — it’s almost like the pattern leaps right off the paper! To add even more texture, I lightly distressed the edges of the panel using my Paper Snips, giving it a soft, worn look that complements the elegant design perfectly.

Next, I folded a card base of Soft Sea Foam and adhered a panel of Early Espresso cardstock to the front. I placed the distressed, inked panel on top, slightly offset for an extra bit of visual interest. To the left side of the card front, I layered three different strips from the Floral Impressions Designer Series Paper (DSP) (165603) pack. Each strip was slightly offset from the last, giving the design movement and an effortlessly layered look.

Inside the card, I added a panel of Basic White matted with Early Espresso cardstock to carry the clean, polished look throughout. For the sentiment, I chose a beautiful message from The Right Words stamp set (165316): “I know a good thing when I see it, and I see lots of good things in you.” I stamped it in Early Espresso ink on a scrap of Basic White, then cut it out with the third largest circle from the Stylish Shapes Dies. To finish everything off, I die-cut a delicate fern from Garden Green cardstock using the Beautiful Motifs Dies (165205).

I popped the sentiment up with dimensionals right over the DSP strips, slightly above center. The fern was glued to the right side of the card front, letting it overlap the sentiment circle a bit, as well as the edge of the embossed panel and the Early Espresso layer. As a finishing touch, I added three gold sequins from the Neutrals Adhesive-Backed Sequins, scattering them around the sentiment to give the card just a hint of shimmer and elegance.

This card turned out so stunning with all the textures, layers, and little details working together! Playing around with the brayer reminded me how even a small technique can make a big impact. I’m so happy I took the time to add that little extra touch — it was absolutely worth it.